Sasuke VS Reality
by Raose
Summary: Sasuke wakes up to find his reality may or may not be false. As school and a loving family threaten to overwhelm his reality he tries to find a way home, but does he still want to go back to that dark reality?


001 Morning Sunshine

Silence was comfortable to Sasuke. He knew and understood all its little moods, or so he liked to think. He knew the silence of loneliness, sorrow, rage, grief and hurt. He lived in those silences, longed for them when in the company of others, and reveled in creating them for others.

However, the moment Sasuke opened his eyes he knew something was amiss. He had his silence, but it felt different. Cautiously Sasuke turned his head slightly to examine his surroundings. The room he was in was painted a dark color, but with the lights off it was difficult to discern its exact color. A battered dresser rested next to a door covered with a poster of some sort. Sasuke squinted at the odd sight for a moment before he shrugged in disinterest. The floor in the room was carpeted, again dark in color, and looked slightly faded in some random pattern. Several books littered the floor, most near a desk on the far wall. Several pens appeared to have rolled off the desk to rest on the carpeted floor.

Grunting in irritation Sasuke pulled himself off the bed and padded silently to the door. Cautiously he opened the door just enough to see out and waited. His instincts screamed that this was wrong, he should just relax, but Sasuke knew better. He had never been in the odd dark room before so something was defiantly very wrong.

Moments later his silent vigil proved useful. His older brother, Itachi, stepped out of a room down the hall walked towards the stairs. The taller Uchiha looked thoughtfully at the door Sasuke was peering cautiously through before his attention shifted to the stairs to his left. Without thinking Sasuke reached for his kunai usually at his side. Surprised and feeling extremely vulnerable Sasuke reexamined the room. His sharp eyes looked for any sign of the customary weapon he always kept with him. Silently creeping around the room Sasuke looked desperately for anything that he could use to defend himself. Finding nothing useful, Sasuke crept back to the door.

When Sasuke peered back out the door he was surprised and grateful to see no signs of his older brother. Slipping in the hallway Sasuke glanced at the door at the end of the hall. Hoping his brother had returned to the room he'd so recently exited Sasuke crept towards the stairs. Tripping over an unknown object Sasuke tried to stifle a shout of surprise as he stumbled off the edge of the stairs. His compromised balance left him no choice but to tumble recklessly down the staircase. Tucking his arms, legs and head in Sasuke hoped he could minimize his injuries. Slamming his head into a railing slowed his decent, but left him feeling dazed and disoriented.

His wild fall quickly ended with him resting at the half on the stairs, half off. He closed his eyes as a wave of nausea threatened to overwhelm him. Moments passed in agony as Sasuke desperately willed his body to listen to his commands so he could still try to make a hasty, if no longer silent, get away. As his breath evened out Sasuke let the darkness wash over him, pulling him into unconsciousness.

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A pitiful moan escaped Sasuke's lips as he regained consciousness. Weakly he slipped carefully off the bottom few steps. Wondering vaguely why his brother hadn't killed him, or even noticed apparently, Sasuke's loud tumble down the stairs, Sasuke forced himself to a sitting position. Licking his lips fearfully Sasuke used the railing to pull himself to his feet. A dizzying migraine pounded in Sasuke's head as he held onto the railing for support.

After what felt like an eternity to the young teenager, Sasuke managed to release his stranglehold on the railing and step away from the stairs. Walking down a quiet and dark hallway Sasuke leaned slightly against the wall until he stopped in a small kitchen. Staring at the small tidy space Sasuke nearly jumped out of his skin when a fluffy white tabby leaped onto the counter top. She held something firmly between her teeth as she stared at him. She sauntered to the edge of the counter and leaped off it and strode to his side. Still keeping a hold of her prize she rubbed against his legs. A soft murmur reached his ears and he slowly realized the cat was purring. Stopping suddenly she dropped the object from her mouth on his bare foot.

Feeling the cold object laid lovingly across his left foot, Sasuke grimaced. The feeling of liquid slipping down his foot and pooling between his toes made Sasuke focus on the object. Kneeling slowly he noticed a faint coppery scent coming from the object. Licking his lips in thought he carefully picked the small object up and grimaced as he realized he was holding a dead mouse. Quickly dropping the mouse to the side he walked further into the kitchen. Heading fro the small sink Sasuke examined the room. The linoleum floor was cold, sending a shiver up Sasuke's spine as he realized how cold it really was. Reaching the sink Sasuke noticed a few dishes as he turned on the water. Placing his hands under the quiet rush of water he washed the small amount of blood off his fingers. Grabbing a small rag from within the sink he soaked it in water and hastily wiped the blood off his foot. He turned to look around once more and was surprised to see countless papers littering a refrigerator. Walking closer to the object, careful to avoid stepping in the blood he'd trailed through the kitchen. Examining the papers he was confused to see his name and his brother's name on various papers. Most of it looked like school work.

Shaking his head at the lame Genjutsu Sasuke closed his eyes. Forming the appropriate seal to release the Genjutsu he focused his chakra and felt nothing. Trying once more, he strained to reach his chakra. Not feeling the familiar collection of chakra necessary to perform the most basic of techniques Sasuke opened his eyes in panic. Thinking of the dangerous man upstairs Sasuke quietly started to open and close the drawers looking for a knife. After pulling open the fifth drawer Sasuke grinned at the assortment of knives. Pulling out the sharpest knife he could see in the darkened kitchen he closed the drawer once more. Quietly Sasuke crept towards a door off to the side. Slipping along in the shadows Sasuke stuck close to the walls until he spotted a simple glass door leading outside. A rush of adrenaline flooded Sasuke as he considered how easy it was to slip out of this odd house.

Easing the door open he winced at the loud screech it emitted. Desperate to avoid capture Sasuke dashed out into the cold night air. The cold, wet grass tickled his feet as he dashed towards a tall tree nearby. His attempt to jump into the tree got failed and he stared dismally at the tree trunk he'd just slammed into. His head protests the new abuse he'd inflicted on his tired body. Dignity and pride damaged already, Sasuke scrambled up the tree like any normal five year old would climb a tree. After climbing up to the second branch, which was the last branch he could reach in his hindered state, he carefully settled on the branch, with his back leaning against the rough trunk.

Thinking back to the last powerful Genjutsu he'd been subjected to Sasuke eyes the knife he'd used to help him climb the tree. Biting his lip against the pain he knew this would cause he turned the knife in his hand uneasily. Closing his eyes he plunged the knife into his leg. The sharp spike of pain in his thigh made him yell in pain, despite his best effort to keep quiet. He watched as his blood flowed freely from the new wound and waited for the world to right itself. Fear raced through him as nothing changed. Lights in the house flicked on one by one and Sasuke whimpered as he struggled to stay in his tree.

The knowledge that he was well and truly trapped in some unknown jutsu left him feeling more like a child than he had in nearly five years. The horror of his situation crashed against him leaving him breathless as he watched his older brother step out into the quiet yard. A light flickered on behind Itachi and a second figure stepped outside. Sasuke watched in amazement as Neji Hyuuga stopped at Itachi's side and asked, "Where's Sasuke? Was it him screaming a moment ago?"

"I'm not sure… Sasuke wasn't in his room. I saw bloody footprints in the kitchen… I can't find him," Itachi said. The older Uchiha was biting his lip nervously as he scanned the quiet backyard. Sasuke twitched when he saw his brother's gaze land on the tree he was hiding in. He placed a hand over the bleeding wound hoping to stop the flow of blood. His breath hitched as he watched the two older boys walk towards his tree. As they stopped a few feet from his tree Sasuke held his breath hoping they'd leave. He could feel his life draining away with each drop of blood he lost. Vision swimming Sasuke lost the fight to remain hidden and tumble out of the tree. Grimacing at the imminent impact Sasuke listened to the two boys yell in distress.

As he slammed heavily into the grass Sasuke felt his head, back and thigh explode in pain. A soft desperate moan escaped his lips. He felt soft hands gently touching his face, as another set of hands roughly pressed down around his bleeding thigh. Screaming once more Sasuke felt unconsciousness closing in on him. As the edges of his vision shifted to black he watched his brother's panic stricken face. Fear and concern evident on the other boy's face were the last things Sasuke saw as his world blackened.

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'_Naruto! Come quick Sasuke's hurt!' a crying female shouted near Sasuke's head. He tried to open his eyes to comfort his worried teammate but couldn't find the strength. He could feel her tears landing on him like a desperate spring shower. Sasuke recognized Sakura's voice instantly and despite his misgivings about having a kunoichi on his team he'd always ben grateful that his third teammate had been the studious Sakura. While the pink haired kunoichi had often irritated him with her strong obsession with him, she'd never failed the team. Unlike their third teammate, Naruto, Sasuke knew that whatever it took, Sakura would keep him safe while he recovered. The girl waited a few moments for their missing blond teammate then pulled Sasuke into a gentle hug as she whispered, 'Sasuke please wake up. I'm going to have to get you out of this tree. I'll find you somewhere safe before I go find our idiot teammate and when I do…. He better be dying!'_

_ He felt the kunoichi shift his body so she could carry him on her back down the tree. As she skillfully jumped from branch to branch she looked for a suitable spot to protect her teammate while she slowly descended Sasuke could hear her mumbling quietly as she considered one location or another before ultimately dismissing it. Sasuke desperately tried to wake up, knowing that when he did he'd help the pink hair kunoichi kill Naruto for his lack of consideration and team support. After a few moments he felt his body being lowered gently to the ground. Beside him he could hear Sakura pouring water on something before she placed a wet cloth across his forehead. 'Just rest Sasuke. I'll take care of everything until you wake up… first thing though… If you can hear me, please don't wander around when you wake u. I'm going to set up some traps before I go hunt down our missing idiot.'_

_ Again tears fell on Sasuke as his teammate tried to hold herself together. Sasuke wanted to wake up, to help his teammate deal with the situation but knew that in his current state he was solely dependent on Sakura. A new silence settled on Sasuke, a fear he never wanted to know or remember. A silence filled with absolute terror, trapped in his own body unable to move of his own accord, or to protect himself or his scattered team from danger. The new silence promised to last forever, promising softly that nothing would ever change; nothing would ever break this silence. Silently, trapped in his own mind, Sasuke wept. _

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Author's Note: Well that's it for now. Hope you enjoyed it. More will be coming soon. I don't own Naruto or any of the characters. All I own is the plot bunny that refuses to leave me alone until I've shared it.


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